When I read the heart of the never-smiling princess, for some reason she had already fallen head over heels in love for me. - v1 Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Princess and teammates (as planned) Part 2.

‘Yeap! That, that! Oh, so this is the guy. He looks and feels ordinary, but now that I think about it, he does seem pretty delicate.’

Taro-maru remained silent, but the unabashed curiosity and unsolicited evaluation of his mind were loud and clear to me.

A nauseating feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. My palms began to sweat.

The internal dialogue and what would follow their outer words were all too familiar for me.

“I’ve heard that he doesn’t participate even in events and lacks cooperation. Is it really okay for someone like that to be in the student council?”

“His role is secretary. I’ve determined that it won’t impede his duties as a secretary. Everyone as well, please try to accommodate with his condition as much as possible.”

Katsuragi Minami responded with a calmly attitude.

Saeki, looked as if taken aback, furrowed her brow.

“In that case, I’ll be careful too. Sorry, Saiga, for touching you so casually.”

“So basically, I just don’t need to touch him, right? I think I can manage that well.”

Because of his mental voice that came along right after, I was slow to react.

“N-No, it’s all good. I shouldn’t have stood up so suddenly either.”

As I righted my chair and sat back down, I heard, ‘He doesn’t seem like a bad guy. I think we can get along fine.’

I stole a glance at Taro-maru. He was smiling, seemingly unbothered by anything.

Could this guy have something different from the others? Most people who learned about my condition treated me as a weirdo to in their own way. They pretended to be considerate from outside while giving off comments like “That feels so troublesome” or “let’s be careful not to get along,” deep down. They found it annoying to associate with me and kept their distance instead.

But Taro-maru didn’t seem to think that way at all. But why is that?

“Now that the introductions are over, let’s discuss about the upcoming scheduled events. The nearest event on our calendar is the entrance ceremony for the new school year, followed by the introduction of club activities for new students and the budget meeting—”

“Wait a minute, President. Are you really planning to proceed like this?”

Saeki interrupted the conversation. Katsuragi Minami tilted her head.

“What do you mean by ‘like this’?”

“I mean, do you really think this team can function as the executive board? I don’t think it’s capable enough. You’ve made mistake in the selection of your personnel.”

Uwaaa, this girl just dropped a bombshell.

Taro-maru spoke up looking seemingly concerned as well.

“Saeki, I don’t think it’s right to criticize the president’s decisions.”

“You be quiet. I’m asking the president in question.”

Taro-maru was silenced by her sharp rebuke. Hoshino looked around nervously.

Katsuragi Minami let out a long sigh. (*Fuu)

“It seems you are dissatisfied, but the selection of officers is the prerogative of the student council president. And I did not make these appointments lightly.”

“I know all those stuff well. But me, as the vice president, I’m telling you that I believe it will be difficult to manage with such members. You have a duty to explain yourself as the president, and if there are real issues later on, we would need to report them to the supervising teacher as well. If there is a chance that we can’t operate effectively, we can still reconsider your selection. Fortunately, we still have time.”

The tension in the room grew thicker.

While I was intimidated by Saeki’s attitude, I also understood the reason for her discontent. It seems she had been upset because she disagreed with the selections.

However, Katsuragi Minami’s stance was also not wrong as well. The president has the right to choose the officers, and the most a vice president can do was to only provide feedback on her decisions. Pushing too hard might just create unnecessary conflict instead.

Was Saeki willing to risk that conflict just because she was unhappy with the selections?

…Ahh, yeap, that’s plausible.

“If I can explanation, will that be okay.”

“If that satisfies me.”

Ignoring Saeki’s combative tone, Katsuragi Minami turned her gaze towards Hoshino. Hoshino flinched.

Calm down, Hoshino, that’s not a beast, just a pretty girl.

“The treasurer needs not only mathematical sense but also the patience to avoid errors. Given that, Hoshino excels in math while also known for her meticulousness. I’ve heard she completed an elaborate domino setup all by herself while still in her middle school, during a cultural festival.”

“Woah, that’s amazing! If it was me, I’d have probably knock it all over in frustration.”

Taro-maru praised her without hesitation. “That’s, I am not that impressive…” Hoshino replied modestly, her eyes still hidden and her mouth not showing any smile. She seemed more embarrassed than pleased.

“Then what about Taro-maru?”

“Taro-maru Jiro is the general affairs personnel. While a general affair personnel has duties that aren’t specifically defined, he will support us in various ways. His physical strength, with stamina and broad network of friends across grades make him suitable for this role.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll help out with anything, and I can talk and connect with everyone face to face despite they are a senior or a junior.”

Taro-maru made a gut’s pose, but Saeki ignored him.

At least acknowledge his enthusiasm. This girl.

“Then, what about Saiga? How can ‘this guy’ suitable in any way?”

Already addressing me as ‘this’ guy’. Just how disrespectful can she get.

“Saiga Takagi is responsible as a secretary. He is highly proficient with computers and possesses other specialized skills. As personnel for this job, he is a fitting choice.”

She was being vague about my part-time job. I had hoped she’d reveal some stuff about me, but apparently, she feels that it’s a matter that needs to be kept secret. This secrecy only makes me more curious about her instead.

“Fuu~un, I see. But he can’t touch others, right? We can’t have him causing a scene just because someone gets too close to him again. The student council represents the students itself, and having someone unusual like him could only reflect poorly on us.”

“That’s why I would ask for your all’s understanding and accommodation.”

“Accommodation? You mean to treat him special only? That’s ridiculous and troublesome. And if it’s that troublesome, just replace him instead. And, the job of a secretary is something anyone can do.”

Katsuragi Minami’s eyes suddenly grew colder. Her expression remained neutral, but a chill was evident.

“Retract that statement, Vice President Saeki. The secretary’s role is not so simple for anyone to do.”

“Let me rephrase. I’m saying that the student council’s tasks can be handled by anyone with a certain skill level. That level is not needed to be particularly high. There are other students proficient with computers as well. If so, even I could take on the role myself.”

“It’s not just about PCs. You should know that the secretary is responsible for handling and recording meetings and summarize it to a few minutes; make reports, assemble instruments for the student council newsletter, and there are even plans to establish a student council SNS presence in future. We can’t just entrust these tasks to anyone as you speak of.”

There are tasks I haven’t heard about in my job details. Is the secretary’s role more demanding than I thought? And what’s the thing about SNS in the first place?

Leaving aside me, who was growing increasingly anxious, Saeki’s voice grew more heated.

“All the more reason for me to do it. I can handle it alongside with my vice president duties. I’ve won awards for my essays, after all.”

“I recognize your abilities, but it’s nowhere close to what Saiga-kun can accomplish.”

It seemed like sparks were flying between them.

Please stop, don’t fight over me. This isn’t what I want. No like seriously. Also, don’t discuss about my future job without even involving me.

“Say, what does Saiga think?”

As was Taro-maru read my mind, he brought me into the conversation.

Katsuragi Minami and Saeki both turned to look at me, one of their eyes were gleaming while another had a certain intensity to it.

[TL: it’s a bit different from the raws, but I think this line sounds better like this as per the context.]

I take back what I said. Just leave me out of this.

“Saiga-kun, explain your value to her. Show how suitable you are for the position of a secretary.”

Whether I am valuable or not, as I was coerced into this, I don’t feel particularly valuable in anyway.

But I don’t have the courage to say that. Right now, Katsuragi Minami looks more like a beast than a pretty girl.

“Um well…”

I looked up at the ceiling, trying to find a way out.

Doing so, Saeki snorted derisively demeaningly.

“A person who can’t even speak for themselves isn’t fit for the role in anyway. You should resign before you embarrass the president, Saiga.”

I couldn’t respond to her. What she said was in fact true, so I didn’t even feel frustrated.

Instead, another thought crossed my mind.

(Could I avoid becoming a student council personnel if I resigned now?)

If I stayed, I’d be saddled with tedious tasks. I’d have more interactions with people, unnecessarily straining my mental health. Hearing others’ inner negative thoughts tires me out and keeps me up at night with unnecessary worries.

But, if I resigned, would Katsuragi Minami feel down?

As I hesitated, there was a sudden clatter noise in the place. Katsuragi Minami had stood up.